Hayden Panettiere: Postpartum depression didn't make me a bad mother

Hayden Panettiere returns as Juliette Barnes on season 5 of Nashville, now on CMT.(Photo: Jason Merritt, Getty Images)

Hayden Panettiere is sharing her experiences with postpartum depression eight months after re-starting treatment for the mood disorder, which she’s openly battled since 2015.

Panettiere returned to TV this month for the first time since seeking treatment for the fifth season of Nashville, which premiered last week on CMT. To celebrate her Nashville return, she spoke to Good Morning America’s Lara Spencer about moving forward after overcoming a tougher period of her life, offering inspiring advice for her fellow moms.

“You have been so amazingly open about your struggle with postpartum, I went through it. How did you know?” Spencer asked.

“I mean the same way you did, it takes a while and you feel off you don't feel like yourself,” Panettiere said. ”But, you know, women are so resilient and that's the incredible thing about them. And I think I'm all the stronger for it. I think I'm a better mom for it because you never take that connection for granted.”

Panettiere gave birth to her daughter, Kaya, in 2014 with her fiance, Ukrainian boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

On season four of Nashville, Panettiere’s country-singer character Juliette Barnes also struggled with postpartum depression. “What was it like, life imitating art or vice versa, going through postpartum depression something as you went through in real life, did that help you?” Spencer asked.

“Yeah, it absolutely helped me,” Panettiere said. “I think it helped me identify what was going on. And to let women know that it's okay to ask for help and have a moment of weakness and it doesn't make you a bad person or a bad mother. That's a great message."

Panettiere shared her advice for mothers fighting the same battle she did — and the fathers standing next to them. “It makes you a strong, resilient woman,” she said. “You just gotta let it make you stronger.”

“Yes, men, don't take us for granted,” she added, as the crowd applauded.